Preview: UFC Fight Night 192 Prelims

Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream the UFC, PFL, Dana White’s Contender Series and “The Ultimate Fighter” live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app.

Women’s Bantamweights

NR | Raquel Pennington (11-8, 8-5 UFC) vs. #12 WBW | Pannie Kianzad (15-5, 4-2 UFC)

ODDS: Pennington (-132), Kianzad (+112)

It happened somewhat quietly, but Kianzad finally appears to have put things together. “Banzai” was a top prospect in 2015, but getting rushed into an Invicta Fighting Championships title match against Tonya Evinger threatened to derail her entire career. Kianzad missed weight, put in a poor performance and, after a year and a half break to recover physically and mentally, lost her next two fights upon her return. Kianzad did eventually turn things around with two wins to get onto the 2018 featherweight season of “The Ultimate Fighter,” but after losing to Macy Chiasson in the final, it seemed like the book was out that any sort of consistent pressure could throw Kianzad entirely off her game. Kianzad was briefly outside the UFC after the Chiasson loss, but she was re-signed a few months later to take on Julia Avila in a bout that only drove that point home further. Avila’s aggressive style prevented Kianzad from getting any sort of consistent momentum. However, Kianzad has not lost since, putting together a string of victories over Jessica-Rose Clark, Bethe Correia, Sijara Eubanks and Alexis Davis. The Clark fight was a rematch of the win that earned Kianzad her shot against Evinger, but the other three victories showed some clear progress. While those opponents have issues, like Correia’s lack of athleticism or Eubanks’ questionable cardio, they each show a level of pressure and persistence that would have previously been enough to beat Kianzad. After the win over Davis—a close fight but still the best win of her career—Kianzad called out a former title challenger in Pennington. That wish has been granted. Pennington has long been a go-to example of a fighter much better than her record, owing to a particularly rough level of competition early in her career. However, since a middling start to her UFC tenure, “Rocky” has proven herself to be more than the sum of her parts. Pennington is not a particularly high-level athlete, but she gets by on pressure, durability, heart and a willingness to keep moving forward to try and gut out a win. That can turn into a showcase against a lower-output opponent like Marion Reneau, but Pennington still does run into a physical ceiling from time to time, most notably in her one-sided title challenge loss against Amanda Nunes. Pennington figures to try and turn this into a grimy bout, and it is a coin flip as to whether or not that will work. Kianzad is the better athlete and has gotten past most of her issues, but Pennington is the most persistent opponent of this run and figures to be the strongest over the course of three rounds. This is basically an even fight, with the tie going to the more experienced and proven fighter. The pick is Pennington via decision.

Continue Reading » Rong vs. Jenkins